So, the Yankees can win games out in L.A.? Cool…so…no excuses come October, right…?

Well, this about does it – now, with this win, the A.L. East is a done deal…there’s no way the Red Sox will be passing the Yankees – even if Boston does win their next five games in a row…which I doubt will happen.

Hey, how about Ian Kennedy? Things got a little tense there in the eighth…and, personally, I thought he was toast. But, Girardi stuck with him, and, Kennedy worked it out. General Joe knows more than I do, obviously.

But, what’s with Mo? Is it just me, or, has he been un-Rivera like on this West Coast swing? I hope it’s not an issue.

Lastly, yes, this is back-to-back good starts for A.J. Burnett! Well, here’s two words for you: Jose Molina. The Panda has caught both of these games for Burnett. That’s not going to happen in the post-season, will it?

I’m not sure what game I was watching, but IPK looked pretty bad to me.

My question is, what do you do with him now? Do you shut him down on a good note of getting out of his own way to show him that he CAN do it at the ML level? Or do you try and build is confidence more in the next few games, maybe bringing him in during a Red Sox game?

I’m not sure what game I was watching, but IPK looked pretty bad to me.

I agree that he wasn’t exactly sharp or impressive, I only felt good for him because of all he’s been through. Getting back to a Major League game this soon after his surgery is impressive.

I say keep him on the roster until the end of the regular season. He’ll be playing winter ball, so no need to shut him down, and once we clinch the division it wouldn’t be a bad idea to build up his confidence in meaningless games while we rest the big guns.

I’ve never been a fan of Ian Kennedy, but I was happy to see that he was back on the mound and was able to get out of the jam he put himself in. In the past he has always seemed to shrug off being shelled at the ML level, so I’m inclined to let him rock out for the rest of the season.

the thing is, what if he gets shelled? that would be more harm then good.

I doubt it, at this point. He survived the 2008 debacle and made it all the way back from aneurysm surgery. I think he can handle a bad outing better than he could last year. I say keep on pitching him as much as possible — although preferably in lower-leverage situations than yesterday’s game — and let him get as many innings as possible so that he can actually contribute in 2010.

Look at it this way: before his surgery this year, he was doing a great job in AAA and had done a great job in the winter leagues. If he had been healthy, we wouldn’t have ever had to bother with that piece of crap that Girardi is in love with, Sergio Mitre.